Nevron .NET Vision
Chart for .NET / User's Guide / Chart Types / Area / Standard Area

In This Topic
    Standard Area
    In This Topic

    Area charts depict changes of values, usually over time. They are similar to Line charts, but emphasize the trends by filling the area between axis and line. The following figures display standard area charts.




    Figure 1.

     Creating an area series

    Area series are represented by the NAreaSeries type. An instance of this type must be added to the series collection of a Cartesian chart.

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    // obtain a reference to the Cartesian chart that is created by default
    NCartesianChart chart = (NCartesianChart)chartControl.Charts[0];
    
    // add an area series to the chart
    NAreaSeries area = (NAreaSeries)chart.Series.Add(SeriesType.Area);
    
    Visual Basic
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    ' obtain a reference to the Cartesian chart that is created by default
    Dim chart As NCartesianChart = chartControl.Charts(0)
    
    ' add an area series to the chart
    Dim area As NAreaSeries = chart.Series.Add(SeriesType.Area)
    
     Passing Data
    Once the area series is created you can add some data in it. Area series use the Values data series for the area elevation values and the XValues data series for the custom x positions of the data points. You can either manipulate directly the Values and XValues data series, or use the data point interface to add data. Please refer to the Working with Data Points topic for more information.
     Controlling the area depth

    The depth of the area is specified in percents of the grid cell depth it occupies. The DepthPercent property controls this percentage. By default it is set to 50. The following code will make the area bigger in depth:

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    area.DepthPercent = 70;
    
    Visual Basic
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    area.DepthPercent = 70
    
     Controlling the area origin

    By default the area uses 0 as origin (the area begins from 0). You can turn off this behavior by setting the UseOrigin property to false.

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    area.UseOrigin = false;
    
    Visual Basic
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    area.UseOrigin = False
    

    If the area is not using an origin value it will begin from the minimum area value (the minimal area value will be displayed with zero height).

    In some cases you may want the area to begin from a certain value - for example 26. The following code demonstrates how to achieve this result:

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    area.UseOrigin = true;
    area.Origin = 26;
    
    Visual Basic
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    area.UseOrigin = True
    area.Origin = 26
    
     Drop Lines

    Drop lines are lines separating the area segments. You can controls their visibility with the help of the DropLines property. By default it is set to false. The following code will display the drop lines:

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    area.DropLines = false;
    
    Visual Basic
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    area.DropLines = False
    
     Area Sampling

    The area series can operate in a special mode called sampled area rendering, which allows you to display very large data sets interactively. This is achieved by filtering individual area segments and displaying a single area segment that has the minimum and maximum values of the area segments that comprise it. This reduces the number of visual area segments and therefore leads to improved performance. When using sampling the area series will not regard settings for markers, data labels, individual appearance styles and shadow.

    In order to enable sampling you have to set the SamplingMode property of the series, which accepts values from the SeriesSamplingMode enumeration:

    Series Sampling Mode Description
    Auto The area series will automatically use sampling if possible. This setting regards the settings for markers, data labels and individual area segment appearance styles. This is the default setting.
    Enabled The area series will always use sampling and will discard settings for markers, data labels and individual area segment appearance styles.
    Disabled The area series will not use sampling.

    The SampleDistance property specified in NLength format controls the precision of the area series when it aggregates adjacent area segments. By default this setting is set to 1 pixel. The following code shows how to enable sampling and decrease the sampling precision to 2 pixels:

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    NAreaSeries area = new NAreaSeries();
    area.SamplingMode =
    SeriesSamplingMode.Enabled;
    area.SampleDistance =
    new NLength(2, NGraphicsUnit.Pixel);

    Visual Basic
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    Dim area As New NAreaSeries
    area.SamplingMode = SeriesSamplingMode.Enabled
    area.SampleDistance =
    New NLength(2, NGraphicsUnit.Pixel)

     Palette

    The area series can have an associated palette, in which case the Fill properties of the series / data points are discarded. The following code snippet shows how to apply a palette filling:

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    NPalette palette = new NPalette();
    palette.Clear();
    palette.Add(0,
    Color.Green);
    palette.Add(60,
    Color.Yellow);
    palette.Add(120,
    Color.Red);
    areaSeries.Palette = palette;

    Visual Basic
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    Dim palette As New NPalette
    palette.Clear()
    palette.Add(0,
    Color.Green)
    palette.Add(60,
    Color.Yellow)
    palette.Add(120,
    Color.Red)
    areaSeries.Palette = palette

     Related Examples
    Windows forms: Chart Gallery\Area\Standard Area
    Windows forms: Chart Gallery\Area\Sampled 2D Area
    Windows forms: Chart Gallery\Area\Sampled 3D Area
    See Also